Measurement and Identification of Parenting Behaviors Associated with Social-Emotional Outcomes in Children: The Racial and Cultural Appropriateness of a Commonly Used Parenting Measure

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine parenting styles (observed parent-child interactions via the Two-Bag Task) associated with young children's socioemotional outcomes, comparing children from Mexican-American and African American families with children from their White counterparts. Methods: The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Birth Cohort data were used to examine 6 global parenting styles with socioemotional outcomes at 48 months of age while controlling for both time-independent and time-depending sociodemographic, maternal mental health, and child characteristics. Data were stratified by race and ethnicity, and weighted longitudinal linear regressions models were estimated using STATA/Xtmixed. Results: The 6 global parenting scores from the Two-Bag Task measures differed across White, African American, and Mexican-American groups of parents. White parents on average scored higher on parenting styles related to sensitivity, positive regard, and cognitive stimulation, whereas Mexican-American and African American parents scored lower. These parenting styles were associated with both approach to learning and social competence outcomes among White children but were nearly nonexistent for Mexican-American and African American children when adjusting for covariates. Conclusion: Our results highlight the need to critically evaluate measures of parenting behaviors used in research studies with racially and ethnically diverse families. Examining the comprehensive psychometric properties and cultural appropriateness of parenting measures for diverse families is important to optimally support child development for non-White children. Furthermore, a critical lens is important to mitigate the perpetuation of inaccurate research findings for Mexican-American and African American children.

All in the Family? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Parenting and Family Environment as Risk Factors for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Children

“…Given that content, pacing, and duration of media exposure may well have differential effects on symptoms (Beyens et al, 2018 ), such variability may have contributed to heterogeneity. Bias in assessment may also affect heterogeneity; while qualitative constructs such as sensitivity and responsiveness apply across cultures (Claussen & Crittenden, 2000 ), the behaviors used to measure sensitivity or responsiveness may be impacted by racial, ethnic, and cultural bias (Guerrero et al, 2021 ). Furthermore, studies used different types of data sources, for example, maltreatment included case records and assessed reported maltreatment, but also utilized parent report (Becker-Blease & Freyd, 2008 ; Simmel et al, 2001 ), child self-report (Haj-Yahia & Abdo-Kaloti, 2008 ; King et al, 2011 ; Sesar et al, 2008 ), or observation (Wolfe & Mosk, 1983 ).…”

Shared parental responsiveness among fathers and mothers with low income and early child outcomes

“…The coders achieved 90% interrater reliability. Additional descriptions of the procedures, measures, and validity of the parent–child interactions can be found in the BSF documentation and elsewhere (Guerrero et al, 2021; Hershey et al, 2013; Moore et al, 2013). The five parenting dimensions noted earlier were then combined for each parent to create composite measures, representing fathers' and mothers' parental responsiveness.…”

Socioeconomic determinants of early childhood development: evidence from Pakistan

“…Numerous studies have established a connection between socioeconomic factors and developmental outcomes of newborns, infants, and children during early childhood [5,20,[30][31][32]. Child raised in low-income households are more prone to cognitive and behavioral challenges [10] whereas higher levels of parental education are associated with positive developmental outcomes including socioemotional and cognitive development [15,29,35]. Parental occupation can shape child's developmental paths, as parents with more rewarding professions are more likely to adopt enriching parenting practices [2,14].…”